Methods and apparatus to measure mobile broadband market share

ABSTRACT

Methods and apparatus are disclosed to measure mobile broadband market share. A disclosed example method involves invoking an adapter query on a computing device in response to detecting a request for Internet services, identifying a plurality of available adapters on the computing device based on the adapter query, and determining whether the computing device includes a mobile broadband service provider based on which one of the plurality of available adapters is servicing the request for Internet services.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This patent is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. applicationSer. No. 12/894,347, filed Sep. 30, 2010, entitled “Methods andApparatus to Measure Mobile Broadband Market Share,” which is herebyincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This disclosure relates generally to market research and, moreparticularly, to methods and apparatus to measure mobile broadbandmarket share.

BACKGROUND

Service providers, such as media service providers, Internet serviceproviders (ISPs), mobile telephony service providers, and/or mobilebroadband ISPs that choose to participate in a market typically need toacquire information about their competitors. Competitive informationallows the provider to employ strategic and/or tactical decisionsrelated to opportunities that may increase a subscriber base and/oridentify which market areas may be particularly receptive to theservices offered by the provider. Additionally, information about theprovider and its competitors permits a comparison to reveal marketpresence and/or market dominance.

Obtaining information related to the presence of competitive providersand/or the market share in any particular geographic market may entailconducting surveys. Surveys, whether oral or written, typically yieldlow sample rates when compared to the total number of existingsubscribers. Additionally, answers to the surveys are usually providedby a human respondent, who is prone to inaccuracy regarding details oftheir existing provider.

Additionally, because oral and written surveys are perceived as a burdento subscribers, providers are not likely to enjoy opportunities todetermine whether the subscriber's status has changed. For example, ifthe subscriber agrees to answer survey questions at a first time, suchsubscriber is not likely to also agree to another survey question at asecond time (e.g., several months after the first survey). Instead, thesubscriber is likely to view the additional survey questions as a burdennot worthy of their time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an example system that may measuremobile broadband market statistics.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of an example remote application tooperate in the system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of an example mobile broadbandevaluator to operate in the system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 depicts an example subset of data collected by the examples ofFIGS. 1-3.

FIG. 5 depicts an example mobile broadband data card comparison tablethat may be used with the example system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 depicts an example enhanced log generated by the example systemof FIG. 1.

FIGS. 7-10 depict flow diagrams of example processes to measure mobilebroadband market share.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of an example processor platform that maybe used to implement the example systems, methods and apparatusdescribed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Although the following discloses example methods and apparatusincluding, among other components, software executed on hardware, suchmethods and apparatus are merely illustrative and should not beconsidered limiting. For example, any or all of these hardware andsoftware components could be embodied exclusively in hardware,exclusively in software, or in any combination of hardware and software.Accordingly, while the following describes example methods, systems, andapparatus, the examples provided are not the only way to implement suchmethods, systems and apparatus.

Example methods and apparatus to measure mobile broadband market shareare disclosed. A disclosed example method includes receiving firstinformation indicative of a first network interface device used at afirst time, receiving second information indicative of a first Internetprotocol (IP) address used at the first time, and identifying aninstance of mobile broadband data card Internet access when the firstnetwork interface device is a broadband data card and the first IPaddress is associated with a first broadband Internet service provider(ISP).

A disclosed example apparatus includes a remote application interface toreceive first information indicative of a first network interface deviceused at a first time and to receive second information indicative of afirst Internet protocol (IP) address used at the first time, an IPaddress query engine to identify that the first IP address is associatedwith a first Internet service provider (ISP), and a broadband data cardrule manager to identify an instance of mobile broadband data card usewhen a first adapter is a mobile broadband data card and is associatedwith the first ISP.

In the event that a provider of services, such as a provider of mobilebroadband Internet services, gains or loses subscribers, the provider isparticularly interested in learning whether competitors experience asimilar gain or loss. For example, if the broadband (BB) Internetservice provider (ISP) and one or more competitors experience similargains in subscribers, then the general market area may be experiencinggrowth. Such an indication may prompt the BB ISP to increase advertisingand/or promotional resources to attempt to capture such growth (e.g.,market share) opportunities before one or more competitors capture agreater portion of the available subscribers. Alternatively, if the BBISP and one or more competitors experience subscriber losses, then thegeneral market area may be stagnant and/or shrinking, which may indicateadvertising and/or promotional efforts should focus on one or morealternate markets. On the other hand, in the event that the BB ISPmarket share is higher than one or more competitors and/or rate of newsubscribers to the BBISP is increasing as compared to one or morecompetitors, then the BB ISP may gain insight to the effectiveness of anadvertising campaign and/or a promotion.

In some examples, a consumer uses a desktop, netbook, tablet pc orlaptop computer for Internet access from a home or business, to whichthe Internet services are provided by a broadband ISP (e.g., cableInternet services, digital subscriber line (DSL) services, etc.).Typically, the consumer receives a modem to operate in a fixed locationof the home or business, and the modem connects to a twisted pair (e.g.,for DSL Internet services) or a coaxial cable (e.g., for cable Internetservices). In operation, the modem negotiates a public IP address withthe ISP and generates one or more private IP addresses for one or morecomputers and/or computing devices (e.g., desktop computer, laptopcomputer, tablet pc, netbook, personal digital assistant, gaming console(e.g., X-Box 360), media extender, WiFi enabled device, etc.) tofacilitate Internet services to the home or business.

Recently, ISPs and mobile telephone/data service providers have startedproviding mobile broadband data cards to enable customers to consumeInternet services at broadband speeds without being restricted to ahousehold or business modem (hereinafter referred to herein as “mobilebroadband” services). The mobile broadband market is large and growingat such a rate that fixed line (e.g., DSL Internet, cable Internet,etc.) markets for Internet services are threatened. In some instances,mobile telephone companies partner with end-user product manufacturers(e.g., Apple) to facilitate broadband services to end-user devices(e.g., iPad, mobile broadband data cards, etc.). Globally, mobilebroadband services are growing and estimated to provide nearly 1 in 3mobile subscribers with a mobile broadband connection by 2012.Additionally, mobile broadband revenues are expected to grow to over$400 billion by 2012. An interest in such growth is not limited topotential mobile BB ISPs, but concerns telecom carriers, network andmarketing organizations, device manufacturers and/or network suppliers.Knowledge of market activity for mobile BB services permits a betterunderstanding of, in part, how to integrate products/services, how todevelop products/services, how to price products/services, and/or how topromote products/services.

Customers that have a mobile BB data card installed on a computingdevice (e.g., desktop, laptop, tablet pc, netbook, etc.) may use thedata card to obtain Internet services. However, in some instances thecustomer may choose to employ other networking adapters to obtainInternet services, such as an Ethernet network interface card (NIC), aWiFi NIC (e.g., a device to send/receive wireless signals that conformto one or more standards proffered by the Institute of Electrical andElectronics Engineers (IEEE), such as IEEE 802.11x), and/or tetheringtheir computing device to a wireless telephone. As such, the merepresence of a mobile BB data card may not reliably indicate that thecustomer is using mobile BB services. Accordingly, parties interested inactual mobile BB service use cannot obtain a preferred degree of datagranularity if only mobile BB data card presence is employed to identifymobile BB service use.

The methods and apparatus described herein facilitate, in part,identification of mobile BB service use details for customers. Mobile BBservice use details may be affected by, for example, whether theconsumer's computing device has a mobile BB data card, a mobile BB datacard plus a NIC, or a NIC without a mobile BB data card. In someexamples, the customer may be a mobile BB subscriber even when theircomputing device does not include a BB data card, such as when thecustomer is tethering their computing device to a mobile telephone.Generally speaking, the methods and apparatus described hereinfacilitate data collection to enable a determination of market share ofmobile BB data cards, market share of mobile BB services by carrier,mobile BB flowshare by carrier, market share of the computing device onwhich mobile BB services are rendered, and/or connection patterns of thecustomer's use of mobile BB data services (e.g., whether mobile BB isused at home and/or while traveling, whether fixed BB services are usedat home instead of mobile BB services, frequency of mobile BB serviceuse, whether subscriber is traveling, etc.).

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an example system 100 to measure mobile BBmarket statistics. In the illustrated example of FIG. 1, the system 100includes a mobile broadband evaluator 102 communicatively connected to apanelist database 104, a market information database 106, and one ormore registry databases 108. The example registry databases 108 may beaccessed by the example mobile BB evaluator 102 via a network 110, suchas the Internet. As described in further detail below, the exampleregistry databases 108 may identify an association between an Internetprotocol (IP) address and its registrant and/or name of the organizationthat controls/manages the IP address. Such registry databases 108 mayinclude, but are not limited to, information from the American Registryfor Internet Numbers (ARIN), the Internet Corporation for Assigned Namesand Number (ICANN), IP Geolocation by Maxmind®, etc.

Also described in further detail below, the example panelist database104 includes information to identify demographic characteristics ofpanelists that use the example system 100 of FIG. 1. Additionally, theexample market information database 106 includes information to identifyone or more likely carriers associated with user equipment. Userequipment to facilitate mobile BB Internet access may include, but isnot limited to data cards manufactured and sold by Dell (5530 HSPAMobile Broadband Minicard Network Adapter), GlobeTrotter (HSDPA NetworkCard), Pantech (UM175, UM185, UMW190) and Sierra Wireless (AirCard 550Adapter, Compass 597 EVDO). Moreover, mobile BB service providerstypically provide Internet services via the data card through a specificservice class. Services classes include, but are not limited toEvolution Data Optimized (EVDO), and High Speed Packet Access (HSPA),such as the HSDPA protocol and the HSUPA protocol (High SpeedDownlink/Uplink Packet Access), CDMA2000 (e.g., lx and 1xRTT). Otherservice classes include the global system for mobile communications(GSM), the general packet radio service (GPRS), EDGE and worldwideinteroperability for microwave access (WiMAX). In operation, the examplemobile BB evaluator 102 may compare a mobile BB data card to the examplemarket information database 106 to determine one or more likely serviceprovider candidates and/or service classes in use by a panelist.

The example mobile BB evaluator 102 is also communicatively connected toone or more networks 112, such as the Internet. Any number of ISPs, suchas an example ISP “A” 114 and ISP “B” 116 are communicatively connectedto the network 112, in which each ISP provides one or more services tocustomers. In the illustrated example of FIG. 1, ISP “A” 114 providesmobile BB Internet access via a wireless tower 118 to a mobile user 120with a laptop 122. Additionally, the example ISP “A” 114 provides fixedBB Internet access to a household 124, within which a computing device126 (e.g., a desktop, a laptop, tablet pc, netbook, etc.) receivesbroadband Internet services via a router and/or modem (not shown).Furthermore, the example ISP “A” 114 provides BB Internet access to abusiness 128 (e.g., a hotel, a coffee shop, an airport, etc.) via arouter and/or modem (not shown) to any number of users 130, each ofwhich use a computing device 132 (e.g., a desktop, laptop, tablet pc,netbook, etc.).

In the illustrated example of FIG. 1, ISP “B” 116 provides mobile BBInternet access via a wireless tower 134 to a mobile telephone 136. Inthis example, a mobile user 138 may have a computing device 140 (e.g., alaptop) without a mobile BB data card configured therein. Instead, theexample mobile user 138 may tether the computing device 140 to theexample mobile telephone 136 to obtain broadband Internet services.Alternatively, the example computing device 140 may have a mobile BBdata card installed therein, but may not be within range of a suitablesignal to provide mobile BB Internet services (e.g., a 4G signal). As aresult, the example user 138 may choose to tether their mobile telephone136 to obtain Internet services (e.g., a 3G signal). Each of the exampleISP “A” 114 and ISP “B” 116 may employ any number of access routers (notshown) to accommodate its subscriber base for a given geographic area.For example, the example ISP “A” 114 may employ a first access router toservice the household 124 and the business 128, and employ a secondaccess router to service the mobile user 120, as described in furtherdetail below.

Each of the example mobile user 120, household 124, business users 130and/or tethering user 138 may be a panelist. Generally speaking,panelists and/or panelist households may be selected by, for example, amarketing entity to obtain a statistically significant sample size ofbehavior so that projections to a larger universe may be made with anacceptable degree of confidence. Panelists are typically selected insufficient numbers to achieve statistical significance and represent oneor more particular geographic and/or demographic aspects of a largeruniverse of participants (e.g., subscribers of mobile BB Internetservices). One or more households and/or panelists typically becomepanelist members based on, in part, an agreement with the monitoringentity (e.g., the marketing entity) to have one or more behaviorsmonitored, such as the manner in which mobile BB services are consumed.

Participants that are ultimately selected to be panelists provide one ormore types of characteristic information. Characteristic information mayinclude, but is not limited to age, income, sex, occupation, homeaddress, business address and/or ethnicity. Without limitation, thepanelists may also disclose details of communication devices, computingdevices, automobiles, interests, amounts of money spent on utilities,service provider names, etc. Information related to the one or morepanelists and/or users of the example system 100 of FIG. 1 is saved inthe example panelist database 104. To collect additional informationabout panelist behavior, the example system 100 of FIG. 1 includes aremote application 150 to execute on each computing device (122, 126,132, 140). The example remote application 150, which is described infurther detail below, may execute in a non-intrusive manner to collectinformation indicative of the network card in use (e.g., a NIC, NIC withWiFi, mobile BB data card, etc.), a panelist meter identifier, acomputer identifier, a local time/date stamp, a log identifier, and/oran IP address assigned by the service provider that is responsible forInternet services.

In operation, the example remote application 150 may periodically,aperiodically, manually, or on a scheduled basis invoke one or moreactions on the panelist computing device to obtain information. Actionsinvoked by the example remote application 150 may include, but are notlimited to computing device console operations, computer platformcommands, and/or network query operations/commands. Computing deviceconsole operations may include, but are not limited to Internet protocolconfiguration (ipconfig) to display current network configurationvalues, domain name server (DNS) settings and/or adapters in use by thecomputing device, network tools to identify routes taken by packetsacross an IP network (e.g., tracert), and/or commands to report thecomputing device manufacturer, model number, processor type, randomaccess memory (RAM) installed, computer name, and/or computer serialnumber. The example remote application 150 may execute for a period oftime and transmit collected data to the example mobile broadbandevaluator 102, where it may be stored in the example panelist database104 for future analysis. In some examples, panelist data is collectedand saved to the panelist database 104 for a month so that subsequentanalysis may reveal trends associated with Internet use and otherbehavior patterns. Such observed behavior patterns, in the aggregate,may be indicative of market activity that may be projected to a largeraudience. Information collected and saved by the example remoteapplication 150 may be stored in the example panelist database 104segregated by, for example, DNS information, ISP information, IP addressinformation, adapter information (e.g., adapters in use, availableadapters, etc.), panelist demographic information, computing deviceinformation, connected Internet speed information, etc.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the example remote application150 shown in FIG. 1. The example remote application 150 includes aremote analysis manager 202 and a log manager 204. In operation, theexample remote analysis manager 202 operates on a periodic, scheduled,aperiodic and/or manual basis to obtain information associated with thecomputing device on which it resides. For example, the remote analysismanager 202 may invoke an “ipconfig” command in response to detectingthat an adapter of the computing device (e.g., computing devices 122,126, 132, 140) is attempting to secure an Internet connection, or inresponse to detecting that an adapter of the computing device hassuccessfully established an Internet connection with a private or publicIP address. The ipconfig command provides, in part, available adaptersassociated with the computing device and/or IP address(es) assigned tothe computing device.

The example remote analysis manager 202 may also tailor one or morecommands in a manner that conforms to the platform of the computingdevice. For example, Windows-based platform commands use the command“tracert” to execute a networking command to, in part, identify IPpacket hops from a source to a destination, while “tracepath” is used byLinux-based platforms to accomplish a similar objective. Withoutlimitation, the example remote analysis manager 202 may employ anycommand to obtain information about the computing device used by apanelist during Internet connections and/or during one or more attemptsto establish an Internet connection. For example, the remote analysismanager 202 may invoke “systeminfo” on Windows-based computing devicesto determine, in part, a host name, an operating system in use, computermanufacturer name, computer model information, available memory, anumber and type of network card(s) installed in the computing device,etc.

As the example remote analysis manager 202 invokes one or more commandsto obtain information about the computing device such collectedinformation is stored by the log manager 204. In the illustrated exampleof FIG. 2, the log manager 204 may be implemented as memory to store oneor more instances of data collected by the remote analysis manager 202.In other examples, the log manager 204 may facilitate communication witha file system of the computing device, within which data collected bythe remote analysis manager 202 may be stored. In still other examples,the log manager 204 may be responsive to a request from the examplemobile BB evaluator to send all available collected information via thecurrently enabled adapter.

FIG. 3 is a detailed schematic illustration of the example mobile BBevaluator 102 shown in FIG. 1. The example mobile BB evaluator 102includes an analysis manager 302 communicatively connected to the marketinformation database 106, a remote application interface 304communicatively connected to the panelist database 104, a file manager306, an IP address query engine 308 communicatively connected to one ormore registry databases 108, a broadband data card rule manager 310, anda network interface 312. The example analysis manager 302 operates on aperiodic, scheduled, aperiodic and/or manual basis to obtain and/orprocess information associated with panelists and their manner ofInternet connectivity with a mobile BB data card. As described infurther detail below, the example analysis manager 302 applies one ormore rules to determine whether the panelist is consuming Internetservices from a fixed provider, a mobile provider, a mobile BB datacard, and/or wireless telephone tethering.

In operation, the example analysis manager 302 invokes the remoteapplication interface 304 to acquire panelist data from one or moreremote applications such as the example remote application 150 of FIGS.1 and 2. The remote application interface 304 may invoke the exampleremote application 150 to transmit collected data associated with athreshold amount of time such as panelist behavior data during afour-week time period. In other examples, the remote applicationinterface 304 may invoke the example remote application 150 to transmitcollected data on a daily basis for later analysis by the exampleanalysis manager 302. In still other examples, the example remoteapplication interface 304 may save collected panelist behaviorinformation received and/or otherwise retrieved from one or more remoteapplications 150 and save such information in the example panelistdatabase 104 for later analysis by the analysis manager 302. The exampleremote application interface 304 may also be responsive to one or moreremote applications 150 that send panelist behavior information withoutfirst receiving such requests to do so from the remote applicationinterface 304. For example, in circumstances where the remoteapplication 150 is configured to transmit collected panelist behaviorinformation on a periodic, aperiodic and/or scheduled basis, the remoteapplication interface 304 responds to receipt of such information andstores it in the example panelist database 104 for later analysis.

The example file manager 306 assists the remote application interface304 when storing panelist behavior data in the example panelist database104. In operation, the example file manager 306 analyzes the type ofinformation received by the remote application interface 304 todiscriminate between DNS information, ISP information, systemconfiguration information, adapter information, panelist demographicsinformation and/or connectivity speed information. DNS information maybe identified by the file manager 306 from, for example, an ipconfigand/or nslookup command executed by the example remote analysis manager202 on the computing device. Such DNS information may include, but isnot limited to, DNS IP address information and/or DNS nomenclature, andmay be saved in, for example, a comma separated value (CSV) file with anassociated time stamp to identify when the DNS information was obtainedfrom the panelist computing device. Similarly, in response to receivingother types of panelist behavior data, one or more CSV files may begenerated and/or appended to for later access and analysis.

In the event that the example analysis manager 302 is invoked to performone or more analysis activities on a set of panelist data collected bythe remote application 150 (e.g., a set of data collected over thecourse of one month), the analysis manager 302 selects a subset ofpanelist data associated with a time period of interest (e.g., onemonth). Generally speaking, data analysis may be performed over varyingtime periods to ascertain one or more usage trends of the paneliststhat, when projected to a larger audience, may reveal trend informationvaluable to market researchers and/or other business entities associatedwith wireless BB Internet services (e.g., service providers, data cardhardware manufacturers, etc.).

FIG. 4 illustrates an example subset of data 400 selected by theanalysis manager 302. In the illustrated example of FIG. 4, the subsetof data 400 includes system information 402, log information 404 anddemographic information 406. The example system information 402 mayinclude, but is not limited to, a meter identifier 408, a computeridentifier 410, adapter card information 412 and adapter IP addressinformation 414. As described above, one or more commands may be invokedby the example remote analysis manager 202 to acquire the example systeminformation 402 such as a “systeminfo” command on Windows-basedplatforms. The example subset of data 400 also includes any number ofrows of log information 404, each of which includes an associated timeand date stamp 416. Each example row also includes an IP address 418provided and/or otherwise assigned by the service provider, andinformation associated with the active adapter 420. Generally speaking,because a computing device may have any number of adapters capable offacilitating network connectivity and/or Internet access, each row oflog information 404 identifies only the adapter that was active whenproviding such connectivity.

The example subset of data 400 demographic information 406 may include ameter identifier 422, age information 424, sex information 426,ethnicity information 428, household size information 430, incomeinformation 432, city information 434, state information 436, zip codeinformation 438, education information 440, occupation information 442,ISP information 444 and/or wireless provider information 446. Typically,the example ISP information 444 and/or the wireless provider information446 is self reported by the panelist, which may or may not be accurate.Additionally, while the example ISP information 444 and/or the wirelessprovider information 446 may be accurate when initially reported,panelists may decide to associate with alternate and/or additional ISPsand/or wireless providers. As such, the methods and apparatus describedherein may identify the accuracy of such self reported information.

Returning to the example detailed schematic of FIG. 3, the examplebroadband data card rule manager 310 analyzes the example subset of data400 for an indication of a mobile BB data card used by the panelist.Analysis of the type of mobile BB data card is typically a goodindicator of which service provider is responsible for providingInternet services to the panelist because, in part, mobile BB data cardsmust operate with the type of networks managed by such serviceproviders. For example, Verizon Wireless operates a CDMA network with anEV-DO (Rev. A) service class (at the time of this writing), while AT&TWireless operates a GSM network with an HSPA service class.Additionally, mobile BB data cards are typically tailored to operate ona limited service class and/or network architecture, thereby allowingthe list of candidate service providers to be determined to a greaterdegree of granularity.

Briefly turning to FIG. 5, an example mobile BB data card comparisontable 500 illustrates mobile BB data card types and their correspondingservice classes and candidate providers. In the illustrated exampletable 500 of FIG. 5, a data card column 502 includes known mobile BBdata cards, a service class column 504 includes known services classesassociated with the respective data cards, and a candidate providercolumn 506 includes known service providers that may operate withrespective mobile BB data cards 502. The example mobile BB data cardcomparison table 500 is not limited to information regarding datacard(s) in the example data card column 502, but may also includeinformation regarding MiFi services. The methods and apparatus describedherein consider, at least, five ways to facilitate mobile BB services.Mobile BB services may be facilitated by, without limitation, using anexternal mobile BB card in a personal computer, using a netbook havingan embedded mobile BB device(s), tethering with a wireless telephone,using MiFi services via a WiFi signal, and/or sharing mobile BB servicesvia a NIC, such as a laptop/PC/netbook/tablet pc sharing its mobileInternet connection with other PCs in a local area network (LAN). Theexample mobile BB data card comparison table 500 may be stored in theexample market information database 106 and updated when additionaland/or alternate information becomes available.

In operation, the example BB data card rule manager 310 may identify themobile BB data card from the example subset of data 400 to identify acandidate list of service providers that may be responsible forproviding the selected panelist with Internet services. For example, ifthe example subset of data 400 includes nomenclature indicative of “Dell5720,” then the example BB data card rule manager 310 may identify thatthe panelist receives Internet services via an EVDO service class andthat either Sprint or Verizon is providing such services to thepanelist. As new BB data cards are introduced into the market andadopted by service providers, the example market information database106 may be updated to reflect one or more associations between mobile BBdata cards, service classes and/or candidate service providers.

Although identification of the type of adapter used by the panelist canprovide an indication of the service provider (e.g., ISP) responsiblefor providing the panelist with Internet services, such information maynot yield a desired degree of granularity and/or accuracy. The methodsand apparatus described herein may, in part, employ a combination ofmobile BB data card information, associated IP addresses used by themobile BB data card, and/or information indicative of other/alternateadapters on the computing device to determine, in part, the serviceprovider (e.g., the ISP), the method by which the panelist obtainsInternet services (e.g., via mobile BB data card, via tethering, viapublic WiFi, via fixed BB home services, etc.), whether the panelist istraveling or stationary for a time-period of interest, and/or othertrends associated with mobile BB Internet activity.

Additional precision, granularity and/or accuracy of service provideridentification may be accomplished when the example analysis manager 302invokes the example IP address query engine 308 in view of the examplelog information 404 shown in FIG. 4. For example, the IP address queryengine 308 may operate on a row-by-row basis on the example loginformation 404 and invoke an IP address query with one or more registrydatabases 108. Registry databases 108 may include, but are not limitedto the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN), and/or theInternet Corporation for Assigned Names and Number (ICANN). Generallyspeaking, an ISP (e.g., a service provider of Internet services)registers one or more blocks of IP addresses for use by subscribers.ARIN is one of five Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) that manage IPaddress resources. Other RIRs include the Asia Pacific NetworkInformation Centre (APNIC) and the Latin American and Caribbean IPAddress Regional Registry (LACNIC). ARIN facilitates one or moreprocesses that allow an ISP to register (usually for a fee) one or moreIP addresses for exclusive use and to associate the registered IPaddress with a hostname. ARIN also facilitates a database lookupfacility to allow queries (e.g., Whois queries) of an IP address toreturn a corresponding hostname, organization information, and/orwhether the organization has other registered IP addresses (e.g., ablock of IP addresses).

In some circumstances, one or more ARIN queries identify an organizationthat registered the IP address of interest, but such organization maynot be the ISP from which the panelist receives Internet services.Instead, the organization may be a reseller of IP addresses rather thanthe ultimate user and/or provider. For example, an ARIN database queryon the IP address 64.236.16.20 identifies “AOL Transit Data Network” asthe organization that has registered IP addresses ranging from64.236.0.0 through 64.236.255.255. However, the ultimate party and/orend-user (e.g., ISP) for the IP address 64.236.16.20 is more accuratelydetermined based on a reverse DNS lookup (also referred to as a reverseresolve) performed by the example remote analysis manager 202 and/or theexample analysis manager 302, which reveals a hostname of“www2.cnn.com.” Details related to, in part, identifying an ISP arefurther described in U.S. application Ser. No. 12/695,793, (Now U.S.Pat. No. ______), which was filed on Jan. 28, 2010 and is herebyincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

In response to performing one or more queries to the one or moreregistry databases 108, the example IP address query engine 308 maydetermine whether the IP address associated with the active adapter ispublic or private. Typically, the determination of whether the IPaddress is public or private occurs prior to the example remote analysismanager 202 and/or the example analysis manager 302 querying one or moreregistry databases 108. Private IP addresses may be used by an ISP withnetwork address translation (NAT) techniques to distribute Internetservices over a private network. The quantity of public IP addresses isfinite and blocks of private IP addresses may operate within a privatenetwork that are serviced by a single public IP address, therebyallowing a greater number of end-users to consume network services froma single public IP address. The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority(IANA) cooperates with the RIRs to manage IP allocations on a globalbasis and has reserved three blocks of IP address ranges designated forprivate use. A first IANA-reserved private block starts at 10.0.0.0 andends at 10.255.255.255, thereby providing over 16 million available IPaddresses for private use. A second IANA-reserved private block startsat 172.16.0.0 and ends at 172.31.255.255, thereby providing over onemillion available IP addresses for private use. A third IANA-reservedprivate block starts at 192.168.0.0 and ends at 192.168.255.255, therebyproviding over 65 thousand available IP addresses for private use.

In the event that the adapter IP address is private, one or morecommands (e.g., computer network applications, traceroute, etc.) may beemployed by the example remote analysis manager 202 and/or the exampleanalysis manager 302 to identify a last hop router and provide anindication of the ISP. After determining an IP address and/or host nameassociated with the last hop router, one or more queries (e.g., computernetwork applications, whois, etc.) to the example registry databases 108may reveal the ISP. The information collected regarding an active mobileBB data card as the adapter, the private IP address and thecorresponding router credentials confirm that the panelist is usingmobile BB services with a mobile BB data card via NAT from theidentified ISP.

On the other hand, in the event that the adapter IP address is public,one or more queries to the example registry databases 108 may reveal theISP. The information collected regarding an active mobile BB data cardas the adapter, the public IP address and the corresponding ISP from theregistry database 108 query(ies) confirm that the panelist is usingmobile BB services with a mobile BB data card from an ISP that hasallocated a public IP address to that panelist.

In still other examples, when the example BB data card rule manager 310identifies the presence of a mobile BB data card adapter on the panelistcomputing device, but in an inactive state (e.g., the associated IPaddress is NULL or set to 0.0.0.0, etc.), then the example analysismanager 302 determines the manner in which panelist Internet servicesare provided. In operation, the example analysis manager 302 and/or BBdata card rule manager 310 checks an activity status of other adaptersassociated with the computing device, such as the active adapter card420 identified in the example subset of data 400. If the adapter is aWiFi NIC with a private IP address, then the panelist is deemed to beusing a WiFi router from a fixed BB modem (e.g., at home). In somecircumstances, the panelist may be using a MiFi device or a wirelesstelephone hotspot, which may be determined/confirmed by checking thepublic IP address of the panelist. If the adapter is a WiFi NIC with apublic IP address, then the panelist is deemed to be using a WiFi signalprovided by a business such as an airport or hotel. Similarly, if theadapter is an Ethernet NIC with a private IP address, then the panelistis deemed to be using a router from a fixed BB modem (e.g., at home),and if the adapter is an Ethernet NIC with a public IP address, then thepanelist is deemed to be using services provided by a business, such asan airport or hotel.

For circumstances in which the example BB data card rule manager 310identifies the absence of a mobile BB data card adapter on the panelistcomputing device, while BB services are consumed by the panelist, the BBdata card rule manager 310 identifies other adapters for the possibilityof tethering. When a user tethers with a computing device, an adapterconnects to a wireless telephone to provide Internet services. Theadapters to facilitate tethering activity include, but are not limitedto, a universal serial bus (USB) port connected to the wirelesstelephone via a cable, a Bluetooth® connection between the computingdevice and the wireless telephone and/or a WiFi connection between thecomputing device and the wireless telephone. In some circumstances, thewireless telephone may establish a mobile “hotspot” by broadcasting aWiFi signal within a finite range of the wireless telephone or mobilewireless router that distributes Internet services from the wirelessservice provider.

In operation, the example BB data card rule manager 310 searches theexample subset of data 400 for an indication of an adapter capable oftethering. For example, Apple® provides a tethering service tosubscribers in which the adapter appears as “Apple iPhone” or “AppleMobile Device Ethernet.” Alternate and/or additional adapternomenclature may be used by wireless service providers, and suchnomenclature may be stored in the example market information database106 to facilitate future identification of adapters capable of tetheringactivity. Additionally, as new and/or alternate adapters are identified,such nomenclature may be added to the example market informationdatabase 106. In the event that the panelist is deemed to be tethering,the private IP address assigned by the wireless device (e.g., a wirelesstelephone, a WiFi device) may be analyzed to distinguish between asingle-use tether or a local “hotspot” created by a WiFi device. Forexample, if the private IP address assigned by the wireless device is ata relatively low value, such as 192.168.0.0, then tethering activity maybe limited to a single user. However, if the private IP address assignedby the wireless device is of a higher value, such as 192.168.0.3, thenthe wireless device may be broadcasting a “hotspot” for authorizedusers, thereby indicating the possibility of a WiFi device or a wirelesstelephone that generates a “hotspot.”

After the example mobile BB evaluator 102 and the one or more remoteapplications 150 on one or more panelist computing devices collectsinformation associated with Internet connectivity, the example analysismanager 302 builds an enhanced log 600, as shown in FIG. 6. In theillustrated example of FIG. 6, the enhanced log 600 includes data fieldssimilar to those shown in FIG. 4. Such data fields may be arranged inany number of rows to indicate an instance of Internet service thatoccurred on the panelist computing device. The example enhanced log 600includes a time and date stamp field 616, an IP address field 618, andan active adapter field 620, similar to the data fields illustrated inthe example subset of data 400 shown in FIG. 4. Additional data fieldsgenerated by the example analysis manager 302 include a responsible ISPfield 622 and a connection type field 624. Connection types may include,but are not limited to, mobile BB data card, fixed BB WiFi, fixed BBEthernet and/or tethering. While the example enhanced log 600 of FIG. 6illustrates five data fields of information, greater or fewer fields maybe generated by the example analysis manager 302 for use with panelistmobile BB Internet use analysis purposes. For example, the enhanced log600 may include data fields indicative of connection speed and/orwhether the ISP is a reseller.

The methods and apparatus described herein allow identification ofinstances where the panelist travels with a mobile BB data card versuswhen the mobile BB data card is used for Internet access whilestationary and/or at a home location. Additionally, the methods andapparatus described herein allow identification of mobile BB data cardusage trends/patterns that may be projected to a larger population formarketing purposes. When a computing device (having a mobile BB datacard installed therein) powers-up, a dynamic host configuration protocol(DHCP) facilitates the process of obtaining an IP address. Each time thecomputing device is powered-down and powered-up again, DHCP negotiatesanother IP address or, in some circumstances, maintains an IP addressused previously. While circumstances of a panelist receiving multipledifferent IP addresses in one day may be indicative of panelist travelthroughout that day, additional verification may need to occur toconsider the possibility that the panelist is not traveling, but thatthe DHCP protocol is assigning a new IP address when the panelistpowers-up their computing device from the same location.

In the illustrated example of FIG. 6, the example analysis manager 302analyzes the enhanced log 600 to determine whether and how often thepanelist uses their mobile BB data card while traveling or whenstationary. As described in further detail below, circumstances wherethe panelist uses dissimilar IP addresses in a day may be associatedwith a stationary panelist, while other circumstances where the panelistuses dissimilar IP addresses in a day may be associated with a travelingpanelist.

In a first example, the panelist used two separate IP addresses (i.e.,173.6.47.172 and 70.11.219.26) on Dec. 19, 2009 at 3:53 and 9:01 (seerows 602 and 604, respectively). At this point, the example enhanced log600 also indicates that both instances were associated with an IPaddress owned and/or otherwise operated by Sprint, but certaintyregarding a stationary or a traveling user cannot be obtained withoutadditional information. For example, one possibility is that the DHCPserver simply selected another separate IP address during the secondinstance (i.e., at 9:01) of the computing device being powered-up. Onthe other hand, another possibility is that the other separate IPaddress was assigned as a function of the panelist being located inanother geographic location serviced by a separate access router of theSprint network, thereby suggesting that the panelist is traveling withthe mobile broadband data card.

To reconcile the aforementioned uncertainty, the methods and apparatusdescribed herein employ the example analysis manager 302 to identifywhether more than one connection/access router was used for each IPaddress assigned via DHCP. In particular, the example analysis manager302 invokes a traceroute network command for the first IP address (e.g.,tracert 173.6.47.172) and for the second IP address (e.g., tracert70.11.219.26). Each access router can serve hundreds of customers, so ifthe resulting access router is the same for both traceroute results,then the panelist is not likely to be traveling. On the other hand, ifthe resulting access router is not the same, then the panelist is deemedto be traveling.

In the illustrated example enhanced log 600 of FIG. 6, the access routercorresponding to both IP addresses on Dec. 19, 2009 is the same (at thetime of this writing the access router iss1-sprin904-258830-0.sprintlink.net 144.228.132.142). In other words,while the DHCP assigned separate public IP addresses to the mobile BBdata card, each was still associated with the same access router,thereby indicating that the panelist is not traveling.

In a second example, the panelist used three separate IP addresses onDec. 21, 2009. The ISP associated with each of these instances is shownin the example responsible ISP column 622, and indicates that thepanelist was serviced by two separate ISPs (i.e., one instance ofClearwire 650 and two instances of Sprint 652 and 654, respectively).Although the panelist is deemed to have been traveling between the firstand second instances (i.e., between obtaining the IP address 75.94.226.9at 4:12 and obtaining the IP address 173.136.35.144) because dissimilarISPs were responsible for the service(s), there is not enoughinformation to determine whether the panelist was traveling between thesecond and third instances because the same ISP is responsible for thoseservices. To determine whether the panelist was traveling between thesecond and third instances of receiving an IP address from DHCP, theexample analysis manager 302 invokes the traceroute network command forthe second IP address (e.g., tracert 173.136.35.144) and for the thirdIP address (e.g., tracert 70.11.194.21). At the time of this patent waswritten, the access router associated with the second IP address was notthe same as the access router associated with the third IP address,thereby indicating that the panelist was traveling.

While an example manner of implementing the mobile broadband evaluator102 and the remote application 150 of FIGS. 1-3 has been illustrated inFIGS. 7-10, one or more of the elements, processes and/or devicesillustrated in FIGS. 7-10 may be combined, divided, re-arranged,omitted, eliminated and/or implemented in any other way. Further, theexample mobile broadband evaluator 102, the example remote application150, the example remote analysis manager 202, the example log manager204, the example analysis manager 302, the example remote applicationinterface 304, the example file manager 306, the example IP addressquery engine 308, and/or the example broadband data card rule manager310 of FIGS. 7-10 may be implemented by hardware, software, firmwareand/or any combination of hardware, software and/or firmware. Thus, forexample, any of the example mobile broadband evaluator 102, the exampleremote application 150, the example remote analysis manager 202, theexample log manager 204, the example analysis manager 302, the exampleremote application interface 304, the example file manager 306, theexample IP address query engine 308, and/or the example broadband datacard rule manager 310 could be implemented by one or more circuit(s),programmable processsor(s), application specific integrated circuit(s)(ASIC(s)), programmable logic device(s) (PLD(s)) and/or fieldprogrammable logic device(s) (FPLD(s)), etc. When any of the appendedapparatus claims are read to cover a purely software and/or firmwareimplementation, at least one of the example mobile broadband evaluator102, the example remote application 150, the example remote analysismanager 202, the example log manager 204, the example analysis manager302, the example remote application interface 304, the example filemanager 306, the example IP address query engine 308, and/or the examplebroadband data card rule manager 310 are hereby expressly defined toinclude a computer readable medium such as a memory, DVD, CD, etc.storing the software and/or firmware. Further still, the example mobilebroadband evaluator 102, the example remote application 150, the exampleremote analysis manager 202, the example log manager 204, the exampleanalysis manager 302, the example remote application interface 304, theexample file manager 306, the example IP address query engine 308,and/or the example broadband data card rule manager 310 of FIGS. 7-10may include one or more elements, processes and/or devices in additionto, or instead of, those illustrated in FIGS. 7-10, and/or may includemore than one of any or all of the illustrated elements, processes anddevices.

A flowchart representative of example machine readable instructions forimplementing the example mobile broadband evaluator 102 and the exampleremote application 150 of FIGS. 1-3 is shown in FIGS. 7-10. In theseexamples, the machine readable instructions comprise a process forexecution by a processor such as the processor P105 shown in the examplecomputer P100 discussed below in connection with FIG. 11. The processmay be embodied in software stored on a computer readable medium such asa CD-ROM, a floppy disk, a hard drive, a digital versatile disk (DVD),or a memory associated with the processor P105, but the entire processand/or parts thereof could alternatively be executed by a device otherthan the processor P105 and/or embodied in firmware or dedicatedhardware. Further, although the example process is described withreference to the flowchart illustrated in FIGS. 7-10, many other methodsof implementing the example mobile broadband evaluator 102 and theexample remote application 150 may alternatively be used. For example,the order of execution of the blocks may be changed, and/or some of theblocks described may be changed, eliminated, or combined.

As mentioned above, the example processes of FIGS. 7-10 may beimplemented using coded instructions (e.g., computer readableinstructions) stored on a tangible computer readable medium such as ahard disk drive, a flash memory, a read-only memory (ROM), a compactdisk (CD), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a cache, a random-accessmemory (RAM) and/or any other storage media in which information isstored for any duration (e.g., for extended time periods, permanently,brief instances, for temporarily buffering, and/or for caching of theinformation). As used herein, the term tangible computer readable mediumis expressly defined to include any type of computer readable storageand to exclude propagating signals. Additionally or alternatively, theexample processes of FIGS. 7-10 may be implemented using codedinstructions (e.g., computer readable instructions) stored on anon-transitory computer readable medium such as a hard disk drive, aflash memory, a read-only memory, a compact disk, a digital versatiledisk, a cache, a random-access memory and/or any other storage media inwhich information is stored for any duration (e.g., for extended timeperiods, permanently, brief instances, for temporarily buffering, and/orfor caching of the information). As used herein, the term non-transitorycomputer readable medium is expressly defined to include any type ofcomputer readable medium and to exclude propagating signals.

The process 700 of FIG. 7 begins at block 702, in which the exampleremote application 150 determines whether a log timer has expired. Asdescribed above, the example remote application 150 may operateperiodically, aperiodically, manually, or on a scheduled basis to invokeone or more actions on the panelist computing device to obtaininformation regarding panelist behavior. If the log timer has notexpired (block 702), the example remote application 150 determineswhether the computing device has initiated and/or otherwise invoked aDHCP request (block 704). The DHCP request (block 704) may occur basedon, for example, circumstances where the panelist makes an attempt toutilize Internet services on the computing device. In the event that thecomputing device connects via a fixed line BB router at home, the DHCPrequest may assign a private IP address. On the other hand, in the eventthat the computing device connects via a mobile BB data card, the DHCPrequest may assign either a private or a public IP address. If theexample remote application 150 does not identify the occurrence of anyDHCP request (block 704), then the example process 700 of FIG. 7continues to monitor for the log timer to expire (block 702) and/or aninstance of a DHCP request (block 704).

When the example remote application 150 identifies that the log timerexpires (block 702) or a DHCP request occurs (block 704), the exampleremote application 150 invokes one or more data gathering commands(block 706). Data gathering commands, as described above, may includenetwork data gathering commands and/or data gathering commands todetermine details related to the panelist computing device. For example,when “ipconfig” (e.g., for Windows-based computing devices) is invokedby the example remote application (block 706), current networkconfiguration values, DNS settings and/or available adapters may bedetermined. In other examples, when “systeminfo” (e.g., forWindows-based computing devices) is invoked by the example remoteapplication (block 706), information indicative of host name, operatingsystem in use, computer manufacturer, computer model, available memoryand/or a number and type of network card(s) may be determined. In someexamples, upon detection of a private IP address (block 704), theexample remote application 150 may invoke a “tracert” command (e.g., forWindows-based computing devices) to obtain information indicative of apublic IP address and/or more accurate information regarding the ISPresponsible for providing Internet services.

Results from the one or more data gathering commands (block 706) may besaved to a memory (block 708), such as a memory of the example remoteapplication 150 and/or a memory associated with the panelist computingdevice (e.g., a hard drive, flash memory, etc.). The example remoteapplication 150 may determine whether collected and saved results shouldbe sent to the example mobile BB evaluator 102 (block 710). In someexamples, collected data may be saved on the panelist computing devicefor a period of time (e.g., 1-month) before sending to the mobile BBevaluator 102 (block 710), while in other examples the collectedinformation may be sent on a day-by-day basis. After the collected datais sent to the example mobile BB evaluator 102 (block 710), the memorymay be cleared (block 712) to allow additional data to be collected inthe future. Control returns to block 702.

The process 800 of FIG. 8 begins at block 802 to determine whether aninstance of results has been received from a panelist. As describedabove, the example remote application 150 may send collected data on aperiodic, aperiodic, scheduled or manual basis, and the example mobileBB evaluator 102 is configured to monitor for such sent data (block802). If no such collected data is detected by the example mobile BBevaluator 102 (block 802), the mobile BB evaluator 102 determineswhether it should submit a request to have the remote application 150send such data (block 804). In some examples, the example remoteapplication 150 may be configured to operate in a mode responsive to therequests of the mobile BB evaluator 102 to, for instance, conserveprocessing resources on the panelist computing device. In the event thatthe mobile BB evaluator 102 requests one or more results from the remoteapplication 150 (block 804), the example mobile BB evaluator 102 storesthe results in the example panelist database 104 (block 806). Theresults may be stored in a manner that associates panelist information(e.g., demographics information) with the panelist network informationand/or system information.

On a periodic, aperiodic, scheduled or manual basis, the example mobileBB evaluator 102 evaluates one or more results stored in the examplepanelist database 104 (block 808). In some examples, the mobile BBevaluator 102 evaluates results for each panelist on a daily basis toidentify, for example, whether the panelist was using the mobile BB datacard for Internet services while travelling. On other examples, themobile BB evaluator 102 evaluates results for each panelist on a monthlybasis to identify, for example, usage trends for mobile BB data cardactivity. If the mobile BB evaluator 102 does not need to evaluatestored panelist data (block 808), control returns to block 802 tomonitor for additional data sent by one or more remote applications 150.On the other hand, when the mobile BB evaluator 102 determines that itis time to evaluate information associated with one or more panelists(block 808), a time period of interest is selected (block 810) such as1-month of data between the beginning and end of December 2009. A dataset associated with a panelist during the selected time period ofinterest is selected (block 812) such as the example data set 400 shownin FIG. 4. The data set may include, but is not limited to DNSinformation, IP addresses used throughout the time period of interest,system configuration information, connection speed information, panelistdemographics information, etc.

The example analysis manager 302 of the mobile BB evaluator 102 invokesthe example BB data card rule manager 310 to determine whether one ormore mobile BB data cards are listed in the selected data set (block814). If not, then the example analysis manager 302 determines themanner in which the panelist connects to Internet services when nomobile BB data card is in use (block 816), as described in furtherdetail below in conjunction with FIG. 9.

Briefly turning to FIG. 9, an example process 900 to determine a mannerof the panelist connection when no mobile BB data card is used is shown.The example BB data card rule manager 310 determines whether a mobile BBdata card is present within the panelist computing device (block 902).For example, the BB data card rule manager 310 may compare adapterinformation collected by the remote application 150 to a list of knownmobile BB data cards 500 of FIG. 5. In the event that no matches occur,the IP address query engine 308 determines whether the IP address isassociated with a mobile carrier (block 904). If not, the exampleprocess 900 exits, otherwise the analysis manager deems the panelist tobe tethering (block 906). In particular, the example analysis manager302 may review the adapter list for nomenclature indicative of tetheringactivity, such as “Apple iPhone” or “Apple Mobile Device Ethernet.”Alternate and/or additional adapter nomenclature may be used by wirelessservice providers and such nomenclature may be stored in the examplemarket information database 106 to facilitate future identification ofadapters capable of tethering activity.

On the other hand, in the event that there is a mobile BB data cardinstalled on the panelist computing device (block 902), the mobile BBdata card does not have an associated IP address. Accordingly, themobile BB data card is deemed not active (block 908) and the exampleanalysis manager 302 identifies which one of the panelist adapters hasan associated IP address (block 910). If the adapter has a private IPaddress and includes nomenclature indicative of Ethernet or wirelesscapabilities, the panelist is deemed to be obtaining Internet servicesvia a fixed-line BB network such as a home router. However, if theadapter has a public IP address and includes nomenclature indicative ofEthernet or wireless capabilities, the panelist is deemed to beobtaining Internet services via a fixed-line BB network at a businesssuch as at an airport or a hotel.

Returning to FIG. 8, if the example BB data card rule manager 310determines that the panelist computing device has a mobile BB data card(block 814), then the BB data card rule manager 310 determines whetherthe mobile BB data card has an associated IP address (block 818). Ifnot, then Internet access is likely provided to the panelist's computingdevice via a different adapter, which is examined by the mobile BBevaluator 102 (block 816). However, if the mobile BB data card has anassociated IP address (block 818), the IP address query engine 308examines the IP address to determine whether it is public or private(block 820).

In circumstances where the IP address is public (block 820), the exampleIP address query engine 308 initiates one or more queries to the exampleregistry database(s) 108 to determine the ISP (block 822). Based on, inpart, the fact that the panelist has a mobile BB data card associatedwith a public IP address, the example analysis manager 302 confirms thatthe panelist was consuming mobile BB Internet services and can identifythe service class during that instance of service (block 824). Forexample, the identified mobile BB data card may be compared to theexample market information database 106 to determine what type ofservice class is being used by the panelist. As described above, themarket information database 106 may be updated with information relatedto available and/or known mobile BB data cards and/or theircorresponding capabilities. Mobile BB data card capabilities may includeservice classes with which they are designed to operate, such as HSUPA,HSDPA, UMTS, EDGE, GPRS, GSM and/or EVDO. For example, when theinformation regarding the panelist mobile BB data card (e.g., PantechUM175) is combined with the information from the example IP addressquery engine 308 (e.g., Verizon), then the example market informationdatabase 106 can reveal the only possible service class as EVDO.

On the other hand, in the event that the IP address is private (block820), the example analysis manager 302 and/or the IP address queryengine 308 may invoke one or more network commands to reveal anownership status associated with the private IP address (block 826). Asdescribed above, the example remote application 150 may invoke a tracertnetworking command in response to detecting a private IP address, whichreveals a last hop router indicative of the ISP. The example analysismanager 302 may send a request to the remote application 150 to performthe networking command(s) if such commands were not previously performedby the remote application 150. Other networking commands invoked by theanalysis manager 302 and/or the IP address query engine 308 include, butare not limited to nslookup (block 826).

After obtaining information indicative of the ISP, the example IPaddress query engine 308 queries one or more registry database(s) 108 toconfirm the ISP (block 828). In view of the fact that the ISP issuedand/or caused to be issued (e.g., via DHCP) a private IP address, thepanelist is deemed to be receiving IP services via NAT. Based on, inpart, the fact that the panelist has a mobile BB data card associatedwith a private IP address, which is further processed to derive the ISP,the example analysis manager 302 confirms that the panelist wasconsuming mobile BB Internet services via NAT and can identify theservice class during that instance of service (block 830). As describedabove, the example market information database 106 may be used to revealthe service class by process of elimination and/or comparison with knownadapters and ISPs, such as is shown in the example comparison table 500of FIG. 5.

After identifying a corresponding ISP, service class, and/or whether ornot NAT is employed by the ISP, the example analysis manager determineswhether more data is available from the selected panelist during thetime period of interest (block 832). If so, control returns to block 812to select a panelist data set, otherwise the data sets are furtheranalyzed to determine whether the panelist was traveling with the mobileBB data card (block 834). In particular, the example analysis manager302 reviews the collected data for the selected time period of interestfor the panelist, such as the example enhanced log 600 of FIG. 6. In theevent that the analysis manager 302 reviews the enhanced log 600 anddoes not identify any instances where multiple different IP addressesoccur within a time period of interest (e.g., a day, a week, a month,etc.) (block 834), then the example mobile BB evaluator 102 deems thatthe user was not traveling or stationary for that time period ofinterest (block 836). However, in the event that the analysis manager302 reviews the enhanced log 600 and identifies one or more instanceswhere multiple different IP addresses occur within the time period ofinterest (block 834), then the analysis manager 302 distinguishes atraveling panelist from a panelist that is not traveling (block 838).

The process 838 of FIG. 10 begins at block 1002 to identify a providerof one or more IP addresses. As described above, one or more queries viathe example IP address query engine 308 to one or more registrydatabase(s) 108 may reveal IP ownership and/or registration information.In the event that the provider nomenclature is indicative of differentproviders (block 1004), then the panelist is deemed to be traveling(block 1006) and the example process 838 exits.

However, if the information regarding provider nomenclature isindicative of the same provider (block 1004), the possibility existsthat the panelist is either not traveling or is traveling within theavailable network coverage for a given ISP. To distinguish between thesepossibilities, the example IP address query engine 308 invokes one ormore networking commands to identify which access routers are used byeach IP address (block 1008). As described above, each access router canserve hundreds of customers. Thus, if the same access router isidentified at multiple adjacent periods of time, the panelist is notlikely to be traveling. However, if different access routers are used toprovide Internet services to the panelist via the mobile BB data card,then the example analysis manager 302 deems the panelist to betraveling. The one or more networking commands to identify the accessrouter(s) used (block 1008) include, but are not limited to the tracertnetworking command (for Windows-based platforms). If the access routersare the same (block 1010), then the panelist is not traveling (block1012). On the other hand, if the access routers are different (block1010), then the panelist is deemed to be traveling and within theprovider coverage area (block 1014).

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of an example processor platform P100capable of executing the instructions of FIGS. 7-10 to implement theexample mobile broadband evaluator 102, the example remote application150, the example remote analysis manager 202, the example log manager204, the example analysis manager 302, the example remote applicationinterface 304, the example file manager 306, the example IP addressquery engine 308, and/or the example broadband data card rule manager310 of FIGS. 1-3. The processor platform P100 can be, for example, aserver, a personal computer, a mobile phone (e.g., a cell phone), apersonal digital assistant (PDA), an Internet appliance, or any othertype of computing device.

The processor platform P100 of the example of FIG. 10 includes at leastone general-purpose programmable processor P105. For example, theprocessor P105 can be implemented by one or more Intel® microprocessorsfrom the Pentium® family, the Itanium® family or the XScale® family. Ofcourse, other processors from other families are also appropriate. Theprocessor P105 executes coded instructions P110 and/or P112 present inmain memory of the processor P100 (for example, within a RAM P115 and/ora ROM P120). The processor P105 may be any type of processing unit, suchas a processor core, a processor and/or a microcontroller. The processorP105 may execute, among other things, the example processes of FIGS.7-10 to implement the example methods and apparatus described herein.

The processor P105 is in communication with the main memory (including aROM P120 and/or the RAM P115) via a bus P125. The RAM P115 may beimplemented by dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamicrandom access memory (SDRAM), and/or any other type of RAM device, andROM may be implemented by flash memory and/or any other desired type ofmemory device. Access to the memory P115 and the memory P120 may becontrolled by a memory controller (not shown). The memory P115 and thememory P120 may be implemented as mass storage devices for storingsoftware and data. Examples of such mass storage devices include floppydisk drives, hard drive disks, compact disk drives and digital versatiledisk (DVD) drives.

The coded instructions of FIGS. 7-10 may be stored in the memory P115and the memory P120, in volatile memory, in non-volatile memory, and/oron a removable storage medium such as CD or DVD.

The processor platform P100 also includes an interface circuit P130. Theinterface circuit P130 may be implemented by any type of interfacestandard, such as an external memory interface, serial port,general-purpose input/output, etc. One or more input devices P135 andone or more output devices P140 are connected to the interface circuitP130. The input devices P135 permit a user to enter data and commandsinto the processor P105. The input device(s) can be implemented by, forexample, a keyboard, a mouse, a touchscreen, a track-pad, a trackball,isopoint and/or a voice recognition system. The output devices P140 canbe implemented, for example, by display devices (e.g., a liquid crystaldisplay, a cathode ray tube display (CRT) a printer, etc.).

The interface circuit P130 also includes a communication device (e.g.,network interface 312) such as a modem or network interface card tofacilitate exchange of data with external computers via a network (e.g.,an Ethernet connection, a digital subscriber line (DSL), a telephoneline, coaxial cable, a cellular telephone system, etc.).

Although certain example methods, apparatus and articles of manufacturehave been described herein, the scope of coverage of this patent is notlimited thereto. On the contrary, this patent covers all methods,apparatus and articles of manufacture fairly falling within the scope ofthe claims of this patent.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method to identify mobilebroadband Internet services, comprising: invoking an adapter query on acomputing device in response to detecting a request for Internetservices; identifying a plurality of available adapters on the computingdevice based on the adapter query; and determining whether the computingdevice includes a mobile broadband service provider based on which oneof the plurality of available adapters is servicing the request forInternet services.
 2. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim1, further comprising identifying an operating system associated withthe computing device prior to invoking the adapter query.
 3. Acomputer-implemented method as defined in claim 2, further comprisingtailoring the adapter query on the computing device based on a type ofthe identified operating system.
 4. A computer-implemented method asdefined in claim 1, wherein the adapter query comprises an ipconfigcommand.
 5. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 1, furthercomprising confirming that the computing device is associated with themobile broadband service provider when the adapter query identifies anactive mobile broadband adapter.
 6. A computer-implemented method asdefined in claim 1, further comprising confirming that the computingdevice is unassociated with the mobile broadband service provider whenthe adapter query identifies an inactive mobile broadband adapter.
 7. Acomputer-implemented method as defined in claim 6, further comprisingidentifying a NULL Internet protocol address associated with theinactive mobile broadband adapter to confirm that the computing deviceis unassociated with the mobile broadband service provider.
 8. Acomputer-implemented method as defined in claim 6, further comprisingidentifying an active adapter as at least one of an Ethernet networkinterface card or a wireless network interface card when the adapterquery identifies the inactive mobile broadband adapter.
 9. Acomputer-implemented method as defined in claim 1, further comprisingidentifying that the computing device is travelling when an activemobile broadband adapter employs a first Internet protocol (IP) addressat a first time for the Internet services, and employs a second IPaddress at a second time for the Internet services.
 10. Acomputer-implemented method as defined in claim 1, further comprisingdetermining whether the computing device is travelling between a firsttime and a second time by: identifying a first Internet protocol (IP)address at the first time used by an active mobile broadband adapter;identifying a second IP address at the second time used by the activemobile broadband adapter; and determining the computing device is nottravelling when a same access router is associated with the first IPaddress and the second IP address.
 11. A computer-implemented method asdefined in claim 10, wherein the same access router is identified by atraceroute of the first IP address and the second IP address.
 12. Anapparatus to identify mobile broadband Internet services, comprising: aremote application interface to invoke an adapter query of a computingdevice in response to detecting a request for Internet services; and adata card rule manager to: identify a plurality of available adapters onthe computing device based on the adapter query; and determine whetherthe computing device includes a mobile broadband service provider basedon which one of the plurality of available adapters is servicing therequest for Internet services.
 13. An apparatus as defined in claim 12,further comprising an analysis manager to identify an operating systemassociated with the computing device prior to invoking the adapterquery.
 14. An apparatus as defined in claim 13, wherein the remoteapplication interface is to tailor the adapter query on the computingdevice based on a type of the identified operating system.
 15. Anapparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the remote applicationinterface is to employ an ipconfig command as the adapter query.
 16. Anapparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the data card rule manager isto confirm that the computing device is associated with the mobilebroadband service provider when the adapter query identifies an activemobile broadband adapter.
 17. An apparatus as defined in claim 12,wherein the data card rule manager is to confirm that the computingdevice is unassociated with the mobile broadband service provider whenthe adapter query identifies an inactive mobile broadband adapter. 18.An apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein the data card rule manageris to identify a NULL Internet protocol address associated with theinactive mobile broadband adapter to confirm that the computing deviceis unassociated with the mobile broadband service provider.
 19. Anapparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein the data card rule manager isto identify an active adapter as at least one of an Ethernet networkinterface card or a wireless network interface card when the adapterquery identifies the inactive mobile broadband adapter.
 20. An apparatusas defined in claim 12, wherein the data card rule manager is toidentify that the computing device is travelling when an active mobilebroadband adapter employs a first Internet protocol (IP) address at afirst time for the Internet service, and employs a second IP address ata second time for the Internet services.
 21. A tangible computerreadable storage medium comprising computer readable instructions which,when executed, cause a processor to, at least: invoke an adapter queryon a computing device in response to detecting a request for Internetservices; identify a plurality of available adapters on the computingdevice based on the adapter query; and determine whether the computingdevice includes a mobile broadband service provider based on which oneof the plurality of available adapters is servicing the request forInternet services.
 22. A storage medium as defined in claim 21, whereinthe instructions, when executed, cause the processor to identify anoperating system associated with the computing device prior to invokingthe adapter query.
 23. A storage medium as defined in claim 22, whereinthe instructions, when executed, cause the processor to tailor theadapter query on the computing device based on a type of the identifiedoperating system.
 24. A storage medium as defined in claim 21, whereinthe instructions, when executed, cause the processor to apply anipconfig command for the adapter query.
 25. A storage medium as definedin claim 21, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause theprocessor to confirm that the computing device is associated with themobile broadband service provider when the adapter query identifies anactive mobile broadband adapter.
 26. A storage medium as defined inclaim 21, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processorto confirm that the computing device is unassociated with the mobilebroadband service provider when the adapter query identifies an inactivemobile broadband adapter.
 27. A storage medium as defined in claim 26,wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to identifya NULL Internet protocol address associated with the inactive mobilebroadband adapter to confirm that the computing device is unassociatedwith the mobile broadband service provider.
 28. A storage medium asdefined in claim 26, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause theprocessor to identify an active adapter as at least one of an Ethernetnetwork interface card or a wireless network interface card when theadapter query identifies the inactive mobile broadband adapter.
 29. Astorage medium as defined in claim 21, wherein the instructions, whenexecuted, cause the processor to identify that the computing device istravelling when an active mobile broadband adapter employs a firstInternet protocol (IP) address at a first time for the Internetservices, and employs a second IP address at a second time for theInternet services.
 30. A storage medium as defined in claim 21, whereinthe instructions, when executed, cause the processor to: identify afirst Internet protocol (IP) address at the first time used by an activemobile broadband adapter; identify a second IP address at the secondtime used by the active mobile broadband adapter; and determine thecomputing device is not travelling when a same access router isassociated with the first IP address and the second IP address.